As many of you are aware, over the last few months I have been posting my mix of IPTV providers in order to achieve what I am now calling "US Sports Perfection". To remind everyone, my goal is NOT to have the cheapest set up. Rather, it is to be able to watch any and every US Sports or Premium event in 60fps FHD/HD when I choose to watch it. This could be NBA playoffs, Boxing PPV or GOT final episode... but I want perfect feeds every time. The fact that no one could possibly provide perfect feeds every time simply means that I need a collection of providers that between them, ponies up a perfect feed every time without having to go through "heroic measures". Additionally, I want all of my US cable channels and premiums (for the wife mostly). And I need a little catchup, particularly for MSNBC.
---- MY CURRENT PROVIDER MIX ----
After opining last time that I just might need to add a fourth provider in order to really seal the deal, this update finds me doing exactly that. Here is my current 4 provider mix:
- ***NEW*** Cool As Ice (bought from u/Rwin01) - This outfit is brand new to me as of this update. I saw some good banter about them and decided to give them a try. They were deficient on their channel offerings, but after PM'ing u/Rwin01 they quickly added everything that I felt was necessary to call them a "Premium Provider". The channels are now there, in glorious HD/FHD 60fps! Likewise, while CAI offers some Catchup channels, I found that my beloved MSNBC wasn't one of them. However, u/Rwin01 quickly fixed that for me. u/Rwin01 has demonstrated that he cares about his customers and really wants to provide a high end service. I'm very pleased to welcome them to the mix! (NOTE: they are currently in the process of adding US Regionals to their offering... an addition that is both welcomed and necessary.)
- Jarvis (bought from u/Jarvis912) - Jarvis is a reseller of Primestreams. Great 60fps FHD/HD feeds of pretty much every US Sports network, regional and premium feed. These guys are good and getting better. Also, if you are a fan of VOD (not my thing, but probably some of you love it), Jarvis has an extremely inexpensive addon service called Hitman for just this purpose.
- Inferno (bought from u/Jcast356) - This streamer is using the same HQ sources that Beast did, but they have an entirely different server infrastructure that is rock solid. It reminds me of the outstanding Beast service of 6-12 months ago. Thank you, u/Jcast356, for bringing Inferno to my attention.
- Helix (bought from https://helixhosting.ninja/ ) - While they are a little inconsistent, the availability of multiple feeds for virtually every channel pretty much ensures that Helix has a HD/FHD 60fps stream of everything I'm looking for. Add to that the fact that they have Catchup on over 900 channels, and Helix becomes a necessary addition to my provider pool. There are multiple resellers of this service as well as the official page that I've listed, and I will probably move to a reseller version as soon as my sub is up for renewal since the resellers often provide some "extras" for the same or less money (talk to u/Jcast356, for example).
---- PRICING ----
My current monthly price for these 4 providers is approximately $37USD. I run them through TiViMate ($5USD/year), an app that I feel is easily the best IPTV player available anywhere (although it doesn't do Catchup... I use IPTV Extreme Pro for that). A subscription to Xtream-Editor still keeps the total price under $40/month and allows me to customize the lineup and folder groupings to my exacting standards. Your pricing may vary depending upon term lengths, promotions, etc. For this outlay, I get everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) that I could possibly want out of "Live TV". This is probably over kill for some of you, but it suits me very well.
---- NOTES ----
- People ask me why I use 4 providers when this costs me as much as subscribing to mainstream services. The answer is simple, I cannot attain my objective of being able to watch any US Sports event by using nothing but mainstream providers. The need for ALL of the US Sports regional channels means that I need to use IPTV to provide the necessary exposure.
- I often see posts in this sub along the lines of "Why use a reseller when I can just go to the source?". Let me be perfectly clear... I far prefer using an honest, reputable and dedicated reseller. I can already hear you skeptics scoffing that this person doesn't exist, but I wholeheartedly disagree... all of the reseller that I've listed above have gone out of their way to work with me in ensuring that their product suits my needs. They have been stellar in supporting me, working with me on pricing and packages, and just being solid people that I truly enjoy working with. Thank you all!
- YOU CAN HELP ME. Look at my desirements above. Look at what I have. Look at who I've liked (and why). Look at the "Not For Me" list below. Have I missed someone who provides a unique service? Have I completely missed the mark with my synopsis reviews? Is there just someone else that I really, really need to check out? Please help me figure out who belongs in my provider mix above! I would really love some ideas. BUT... if you are going to suggest a provider, please be certain to tell me WHY THEY WOULD IMPROVE MY IPTV WATCHING EXPERIENCE as it relates to my stated objective above.
- A word about "trials". I really don't believe that a 24-48 hour trial does much of anything to help you evaluate their suitability. Most of these trials aren't available for weekends or PPV events, making it very difficult to glean much useful data from the experience. In my opinion, you should do your research first (read reviews, gather channel lists, ask questions on Reddit), and then you should bite the bullet and subscribe for a full month. Take the time to integrate them into your watching environment (Xtream-Editor, TiViMate favorites, etc). Live with them... and then (and only then), make your decision as to their suitability. If they are close, but not quite there... perhaps contact your friendly and helpful reseller (see #2) and discuss it with them. You may be amazed at what can be accomplished when you work with your reseller to make things mutually beneficial.
- For those who kept accusing me of never saying bad things about providers, re-read this and eat your words... I simply state the truth (or my current and honest view of it) and really don't worry much about it. It all becomes transparent over time.
---- NOT FOR ME ----
Providers that have not worked out for me along with reasons why...
Crystal Clear / XStreamZ - This provider has drifted on and off of my radar several times in the last 2 years. As of this moment, they are off because they dropped all of their catchup channels. The feeds are pretty good, many in HD/FHD 60fps. Unfortunately, they are having some current problems with buffering and dead channels. I'm sure that I'll end up trying them again in the future (I always do).
Eternal, Area51, TNT, GE - all cheap services that work, and in some cases offer reasonable stability... but the picture isn't good (terrible frame rates) to the point that they give me a headache.
Twisted - I no longer feel very comfortable with Twisted. Something happened when one of their official resellers (28statemedia) had a bad breakup with Twisted, and they "lost my account". The fact that they made me eat a remaining 5 month sub is inexcusable. I have had some users tell me that this was not Twisted's fault. But I got screwed, nonetheless, and so I sense bad juju there... regardless of who caused the problem.
Beams - After last time's writeup, I tried them again since so many people speak so highly of Beams... but I remain unimpressed. It isn't cheap, doesn't have great USA channel selection and has mostly 30fps feeds... but it is stable. Not good enough to remain viable in my provider pool.
Gears - This is a high priced provider with terrible video quality. I don't understand the crack that y'all are smoking!
Epicstreams - Another high priced provider with some key channels missing. Add to that the fact that many of their US feeds are sub-60fps, and it's just not working for me.
Nitro, Beast - Expensive providers with great lineups that just lack in the stability department. I can't watch a solid hour without some sort of glitch. See Inferno above for an interesting Beast alternative.
FAB, Flawless, ACE, Vader - R.I.P.
---- RESELLER NOTICE ----
A note to resellers/providers - Do NOT post a bunch of PM me links below without explaining WHY I should want your service in the context of my post above. Do NOT say contact me for pricing. Do NOT tell me to waste my time on your fucking product by taking a trial that may or may not even come close IF you can't even be bothered to read my post and explain your rationale. You guys shoot yourselves in the foot way, way, way better than I ever could! That being said, if you really think that my provider mix could be improved by utilizing your service, please PM me and let me know EXACTLY WHY this is the case... I'm all ears!
Excellent writeup u/aybesea! I always enjoy your "For Me" type reviews. It provides great context for people. Thanks for the efforts and I may have to give CAI another try. I found their channel lineup significantly lacking a month or so ago when I tried it, but if they are adding channels, specifically the US regionals, they might be worth another look soon.
Also, thanks for bringing Inferno to my attention. That might have to be one I take a look at in the future as well.